IPS Grow Regional Senior Workforce Lead

The Senior Workforce Lead will play a crucial role in the recruitment, onboarding, training and will lead on the promotion of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) within the IPS workforce across their designated regions. They will support the scale up of IPS by ensuring high-quality recruitment processes within IPS services, comprehensive training programs, and effective onboarding practices. There is a particular focus on embedding a race equity lens across recruitment practices in line with our IPS Grow strategy. Additionally, they will be responsible for developing and delivering advanced IPS training across the country and acting as tutors for the Level 3 accredited qualification program.

IPS Grow is a national programme designed to support the expansion of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services in mental health, primary care, and drug and alcohol teams across England. The programme is led by Social Finance in partnership with the Centre for Mental Health. It is funded by NHS England and Improvement (NHSE/I), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID).

The key requirements of the role are: 

1. Recruitment and Onboarding:

• Provide hands-on support on the recruitment process for IPS Employment Specialists in assigned regions.
• Collaborate with IPS services in the region to identify staffing needs and develop tailored recruitment strategies.
• Support with interviews, evaluate candidates, and make hiring recommendations.
• Attract and retain a diverse workforce that reflects the communities they service, promoting race equity and inclusivity in all workforce development activities.
• Develop and implement EDI initiatives, ensuring all recruitment and training processes are inclusive and equitable.
• Coordinate and facilitate onboarding activities for new hires, ensuring they are well-prepared to deliver high-fidelity IPS services.

2. Advanced Training and Development:

• Develop and deliver comprehensive training programs for new IPS Employment Specialists, with a focus on advanced IPS principles and practices.
• Provide ongoing support and mentorship to new hires during their first year.
• Identify and address training needs, offering additional resources and workshops as necessary.
• Working closely with the Workforce Manager, monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of training programs and make improvements based on feedback.
• Develop and deliver the Level 3 accredited qualification, acting as a tutor and ensuring high-quality learning experiences for participants.
• Support with the development of an apprenticeship framework.
• Signpost and encourage enrolments of existing and new IPS e‑learning as well as the accredited qualification.

3. Specialist IPS Knowledge:

• Apply specialist knowledge of IPS to enhance the quality and depth of training programs.
• Stay updated with the latest research and best practices in IPS and incorporate these into training materials and delivery.
• Support with the development, delivery and facilitation of IPS e‑learning.

4. Relationship Building:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with local and national stakeholders, including IPS services, ICB Leads and Regional NHS Leads.
• Report into Workforce Manager, sharing insights and updates on workforce development initiatives in the region.

5. Quality Assurance and Reporting:

• Ensure that recruitment, onboarding, and training processes align with IPS Grow’s quality assurance standards.
• Collect and analyse data related to workforce and EDI development activities, providing regular reports to the Workforce Manager.
• Identify challenges and propose solutions to improve recruitment, training and EDI outcomes.
• Support IPS services in developing and implementing race equity action plans.

6. Communication and Collaboration:

• Work closely with the Regional Leads, Workforce Manager and other Workforce Leads to share best practices and coordinate efforts across regions.
• Foster a culture of inclusivity within the IPS workforce, supporting IPS workers to feel valued and supported.

• Specialist IPS Knowledge: In-depth understanding of IPS principles and practices, with the ability to apply this knowledge to training and development activities.
• Recruitment Expertise: Significant experience in recruitment processes, including interviewing, evaluating candidates, and making hiring decisions within IPS. Experience in promoting and implementing EDI initiatives within a workforce is desired. 
• Advanced Training and Development: Extensive experience in developing and delivering training programs, particularly in IPS, with a focus on adult learning principles and effective onboarding practices. Proven ability to design and implement training modules including face-to-face and e‑learning formats. Experience of mentoring and supporting new hires. Ability to assess training needs and tailor programs to meet these needs.
• Relationship Management: Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. Ability to develop, influence and motivate others. 
• Organisational Skills: Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, create project plans, and meet deadlines.
• Problem-Solving Abilities: Creative thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to quickly understand challenges and develop effective solutions.
• Adaptability and Flexibility: Ability to adapt to changing project needs and work effectively in a dynamic environment.
• Tutoring and Qualification Delivery: Participation and deliver of formal training programmes. Experience in developing and delivering accredited qualification programs is desired, with the ability to act as a tutor and ensure high-quality learning experiences.
• Commitment to travel: The role will involve significant travel to build relationships and provide hands-on support and training as well as meeting with IPS Grow team members from across England.

We are an ambitious not for profit organisation that partners with governments, service providers, the voluntary sector and the financial community. Together, we find better ways of tackling social problems in the UK and globally.

Since we started in 2007, Social Finance has helped to pioneer a series of programmes to improve outcomes for individuals with complex needs. Our innovations, including the social impact bond model, have mobilised more than £500 million globally. We have sister organisations in the US, Israel, the Netherlands and India and a network of partners across the world.

Our unique method combines financial analysis, data science, service design, and social issues research.

We focus this expertise on understanding the needs of service users and working with communities to create new responses to challenging social problems.

We develop models, products and services that are pragmatic and have the scope to drive systemic change to improve people’s lives. In the UK, we focus on issues such as homelessness, domestic abuse, mental health, learning difficulties, loneliness and vulnerable children on the edge of the care system. We also look to improve equity for marginalised communities in social services. Internationally, we design outcomes-based models for issues such as maternal and neonatal health, education and employment. 

Everyone at Social Finance believes that change for communities is possible. To help us achieve it, we have three core values that guide everything we do. We are curious, empathetic and pioneering.

The salary range for this position is £46,200 — £53,500 per annum, dependent on experience and location. Working for a mission driven organisation is more than just what we pay though, it’s about our culture, our approach and what else we offer. Read more about working at Social Finance. 

We actively encourage applications from under-represented and minoritised groups, including those with lived experience of the social issues we are working to address. We are an equal opportunities employer.

We support a range of flexible working options and welcome UK based applications from outside of London/​the Southeast so far as they can meet the in-person meeting requirements for the role. We can also accommodate secondments and part-time working. Read more about our approach to equity, diversity and inclusion here.

We work on some projects where our clients may require different levels of DBS checking for our employees. Candidates deemed suitable for a role after interview will be asked to declare any unspent convictions to ensure that we are able to resource them to projects appropriately.

To apply for this position, please submit your application through our recruitment partner, Talent Works. They will guide you through the process and provide all necessary information.

For further details and to submit your application, please Dina Patel dina.patel@talent-works.com. Tel: +44 01327 317 263

If you would like more information about the role, please email bethan.obrien@socialfinance.org.uk or our Workforce Manager, Mairi Fraser, mairi.fraser@socialfinance.org.uk